Social Security Administration

Social Security - A retirement program that also provides life insurance and disability insurance. Almost all workers participate in Social Security by making payroll tax contributions.

Supplemental Security Income - Pays cash to low-income individuals over 65 years of age, or younger if the individual is disabled.

Internal Revenue Service

Earned Income Tax Credit & Child Tax Credit -

Tax credit programs that distribute money to low-income Americans

Housing and Urban Development

Programs including rental assistance, public housing, and some community development grants.

Health and Human Services

TANF - A federally funded, state-run program that pays cash to help low-income families with children achieve economic self-sufficiency.

Head Start - A preschool program available to children from low-income families.

LIHEAP - Aids low-income households that pay a high proportion of household income for home energy.

Childcare assistance - a block grant program to states and local public and private agencies that administer child care programs for low-income families.

Federal Communications Commission

Lifeline - Provides discounted phone services and cell phones to low-income individuals.

Department of Labor

Job Training - Training programs administered by the to provide job training, displacement and employment services.

Unemployment Insurance - Programs operated by states or jurisdictions that provide unemployment benefits to eligible workers who become unemployed through no fault of their own (meaning they were not fired, for example). 

Department of Education

Pell grants -

Grants specifically for students from low-income households to access postsecondary education.

Department of Agriculture

SNAP -Formerly known as the food stamp program. Participants receive a debit card that is accepted in most grocery stores.

WIC - Provides healthy food to pregnant women and children up to five years old.

Child Nutrition - Programs that provide free or reduced price meals for children from low-income households, such as school lunch, breakfast, and after school programs.

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid

Medicare -A health insurance program for people age 65 and older. This includes hospital insurance, medical insurance, and drug coverage.

Medicaid - A joint federal-state program designed to provide health coverage to low-income adults and children, pregnant women, and disabled individuals. Connected to Medicaid is the Childrens Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which provides federal matching funds to states to provide health coverage to children in certain low-income families.